Fashion Week Day 4 Recap

December 31, 2009

Sunday in the city should be a relaxed affair, right? Not when it’s day 4 of New York Fashion Week. The high-kicking energy switched into overdrive and fabulous fashion started coming at us at a dizzying pace, which we love.

Behnaz Sarafpour stuck with her classic, almost Edwardian, styling in black, taupe and shades of blush, showing really feminine sheaths. Always showing a bouquet of color, Lela Rose was all about sophisticated “beach” wear, with outstanding dresses with flat or full-out placed ruffles. Derek Lam was colorful, cheerful and all about the waist, with high-waisted pants and skirts complete with “corsets.” High and tight trousers have gone the way of still high, but wide legged for men at Thom Browne who also showed great anoraks on models who filed out of the show space and into a yellow school bus. Reem Acra adorns her women with more pearls and jewels than you can imagine, a look that’s particularly outstanding on a jeweled neck T-shirt. Adapting a quirkiness that was inspired by from the street, Araks Yeramyan showed sweetly colorful pieces on top, while embracing a drawstring pant or shorts on the bottom. Working prints of all sizes, DKNY by Donna Karan’s sportswear was more tailored, but softened by abstract florals, scribbled blooms and sequined prints. The standouts at the Herve Leger by Max Azria show included frocks made of denim strips and, of course, the sexy, body conscious bandage dresses, this season with flouncy little skirts.

Off on a wild adventure, the Diane von Furstenberg woman is wearing great dresses, textured with macramé, beading, leather paillettes and more, layered under all she’ll need for urban warfare. Polka dots, mini floral prints and larger florals dominated Rebecca Taylor’s catwalk in shorter, sexier silhouettes destined to make her fans uber-happy. Rachel Roy is all about the jumpsuit, and if it’s not a jumpsuit, it’s a long, lean column of a dress that looks like a jumpsuit in hammered, brightly colored silk. It looked like a garden party at Erin Fetherston, but really, it was an exercise in creating little dresses in khaki and navy that would work uptown or down. Taking over the NASDAQ in Times Square, Carmen Marc Valvo shared his collection of black and white evening wear and swimsuits with more than just fashion crowds by projecting it on 15 screens. Tuleh’s Bryan Bradley showed lovely blouses and shorts, but where he really triumphed was with his cream, vintage-y gowns, which were stunning. Tim Hamilton’s urban man look continued with slick black pieces, accompanied by a new take on a trench coat that charmingly cries “mad professor.”